Captivity Chapter 1
by whitewolf221
Summary: Claire is captured by the residents of the island. What she finds when she wakes up is nothing short of terrifying. The seond chapter is now up! Please review. Please please please please please...(repeat for infinity)
1. Default Chapter

DISLAIMER: None of the characters on Lost are owned by me, bur by ABC. Darn! :-)

My second fan fic. Yay! Please review. I have no idea how many chapters this will end up being.

CAPTIVITY

by Patrick Null

Claire remembered the trek through the woods, stumbling, half-running, falling. She remembered Charley stopping to help her up, and then being pushed himself, and landing face-first into the dirt. Breathless, scared, she was picked up, and they were prodded like steer by hands that seemed non-human.

They ran for what seemed like hours, and just when she thought the worst was over, that they would both survive this day, they stopped and hung Charley from a tree. She screamed, and tried to go to him, but they stopped her and pushed her forward. Always forward, never stopping, and she ran, thinking of the other survivors and what they might think, thinking of her baby, of Charley.

Charley, who was now dead, and casually flung onto a tree like a piece of laundry. He had been an inconvenience and executed. The thought brought tears to her eyes, and she wiped them away with gritty hands, which, of course, made them burn.

Half-blinded, she ran until she had no energy left to give, and she pleaded with them to stop, but they only grunted and hurried their pace. Their claws dug into her arms, and it was at that moment between exhaustion and death, that she fell. She never reached the ground. Instead, she was picked up, and flung over a pair of broad shoulders with surprising gentleness. The ground jounced beneath them, her vision wavered, and the last image she saw before she blacked out was Charlie's pleading eyes as he died.

-------

She came to slowly. First, she saw colors, then shapes, then textures within those shapes. She was in a well-lighted room. She was lying on a bed, and she tried to move, but something held her down.

"Do not bother with the restraints," a voice said to her left. "They are secured, I assure you."

She turned and saw a handsome man, with long brown hair extending past his shoulders, piercing blue eyes, and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His clothes were odd, and Claire thought they looked like something out of a Robin Hood movie. A sword was strapped at his side, but, yet, it wasn't a sword. It had a hilt, but a claw looking thing protruded from the sword's tip. Jewels were embedded into the hilt--orange, green, red, blue.

She looked up. "Where am I?"

"Safe."

"Who are you?"

Instead of answering, he walked away, hands clasped behind his back. "You have had a long journey, Claire. Do you not wish to sleep?"

"What I wish is to go back home."

He turned, smiled. "You mean home home, or back to the other survivors?"

"You know what I mean."

"I am sorry, but your wish cannot be granted."

"You killed Charley."

"Yes."

"W-why?" Damn it, she was trembling, on the verge of tears. She hadn't wanted to show these monsters any weakness.

"Because we did not have any use for him."

"And you think I will be useful?"

"Oh, yes." He looked at her stomach and back up to meet her eyes. "You will have more use than you know; we wouldn't have brought you here otherwise."

She looked down, and realization dawned. She snapped her head back up. "Wh-what...are you going to do with my boy?"

"Do not worry. No harm will come to your child."

"Who are you people?"

"We are its protectors."

"Protectors? What are you talking about? Let me out of here!"

He looked to the side, and right on cue, two women appeared, holding her down. Their touch was cold, clammy.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"You are getting over-excited, Claire. That is not good if you want to deliver a healthy baby."

"Oh, God..."

A nurse pulled from her pocket what looked like a fibrillator pad, and she touched Claire's arm with it. Darkness descended.

--------

It's been a week since I was captured. Time down here is meaningless for there are no clocks, but I know it has been a week because I have seven pages written in my journal. I write a page every day to keep track of the days. The monsters gave it to me. I would like to refer to them as murderers, but that only conjures up images of Charley, and I cannot think of him if I want to remain sane. And I must stay sane if I wish to escape. And I will, of that I have no doubt.

They gave the journal to me to probably occupy me until the birth. What happens after that, I don't know, for they haven't told me. I'm afraid to ask. The answer scares me. It is far more safer in my imagined truth than any actual reality. Honesty can sometimes kill.

What do I do besides write? Walk, mostly. What else can I do? There is nothing for me to do here. Yes, they let me walk freely. They don't trust me, or anyone for that matter, but where else can I go? They're right. On my many travels, I have yet to find a way out. So much for my great escape plan.

I want to laugh at this whole ridiculous situation. Instead, I find myself crying at night. I can't help it.

But I will find a way back to the others.

I will.

I must.

-------------

Claire closed her journal and locked it. She left it lying on the bed and stood, stretching. She had no worries about anyone finding it and reading what she wrote because it could only be opened with her fingerprint. She thought that was pretty nifty.

She walked to the door, it slid open, and then she was out in the hall. It was a labyrinth down here, its many similar halls and rooms creating a veritable maze that could squash any prisoner's hopes of freedom, for they would wallow in despair before they ever reached the end, wherever the end was.

There has to be an end, though. How do they get to the surface and back? She walked left, and when she got to the end, instead of turning right like she always does, she chose left. Her footsteps sounded like cannonballs in the empty halls, and any occasional person she passed, walked by silently, bowing, as if she was some revered goddess. She was used to that treatment by now, even though she didn't understand their motivations.

She reached the end and turned right. She never felt so alone when traveling these halls. Except for her regular appointments to see how the baby was doing, she didn't talk to anyone except the nurses, if "Your baby is doing well" constituted talking.

Where was the stranger who was there when she first woke up in this place? Claire didn't know his name, but she remembered him. How could she forget? His was the first and only extensive conversation she has had down here.

Another right. Then left, then right, then right again, then left. Where was she going? Could she find her way back? Who cares? One time, she did get lost, and someone found her, and led her back. Ever since then, she has been unafraid.

Then, she saw them, two guards standing at the end of the hallway, watching her. She approached. "Hi, guys."

They didn't respond, but, instead, averted their eyes.

"What are you guarding?"

Again, no response.

"It must be something pretty important, huh?"

One of them finally turned to meet her eyes. "Please leave. You are not allowed to be here."

She pointed to the spot at her feet. "I'm allowed to be here, right?" Then, she pointed behind them. "I'm just not allowed to be there, correct?"

He narrowed his eyes. "You know what I mean."

She shrugged and leaned against the wall, sliding to the ground. "Maybe I do, and maybe I don't. All I know is that I have traveled a long way, and my feet are tired. So, I'll just rest here, if you don't mind."

"Please, mother, make haste--"

"What?!" She struggled to stand, but the baby's weight made it difficult. He helped her up, and she shrugged him off. "What did you call me? I am not your mother, nor would I ever chose to mother such despicable monsters as yourselves, so take it back! Take it back, damn you! Take it back!!"

"That is enough, Claire," a voice said behind her. She turned. The man she had met on her first night with the long brown hair was striding toward her, his face grim. '"Mother' is a term we all refer to you by."

"It's you."

He smiled. "It is me."

"Why are they calling me 'Mother?'"

He nodded in the direction he had come. "Let us walk away from here, Claire, and I will tell you all you need to know."

"No. I am perfectly comfortable h--"

His arm snaked out and gripped her arm hard. His touch was cold and burning at the same time, like a piece of metal forged in fire and then dowsed in water. Her arm grew numb, and she cried out.

"Do not test me, Claire," he hissed. "I have given strict orders to my people not to harm you. That does not apply to me however." He let go. "Now, shall we?"

She swallowed, nodded, and then followed him down the hallway. After a few moments, he spoke. "So, ask, Mother."

"Ask what?"

"Your questions. You have many."

"What's your name?"

"Casir. That was an easy one."

She looked down at the weapon by his side, and noticed that the jewels she saw before weren't jewels--they were buttons. "What's that used for?"

He looked sideways at her, an amused look on his face. "Come now, Mother--"

"Stop calling me that!"

"--those are not the questions you want to ask, are they?"

"I'm curious."

He faced front. "Fine, then I will answer. There is a beast that lives in the woods--a monstrous beast that lumbers through the forest without any apparent purpose. Where it comes from, we do not know. All we know is that it does not bother us, and we do not bother it…for the most part."

"That weapon is used to stop it, isn't it?"

He smiled. "Yes. Very good, Mother."

"I said, stop calling--"

"I am going to continue calling you Mother, so YOU BETTER START FUCKING GETTING USED TO IT!!!"

She stopped, startled, and he grinned. "My apologies, Mother. I just do not like being interrupted. Besides, you should thank us. You owe us your lives. If not for us, you would all be dead."

"What are you talking about?"

He continued walking and she followed. "That first night on the beach, after the plane crash. Do you not remember?"

No, actually, she couldn't. Her memory was hazy. She couldn't even remember the color of Charlie's eyes.

"It was in the woods, and it was coming for your group. They saw it, or thought they did. The beast was knocking the tress back and forth, and I know they saw that. Oh, it was so close, but we stopped it. A push of a button, a claw that can zing through the air by a cable and attach itself to a body with varying degrees of electrical current can stop anything…even a monster as huge as that."

"My God--"

"Yes, the power of the gods in our hands. See, we couldn't let it destroy your friends, because we saw you, Mother. You were our hope. Our salvation."

"Your salvation?"

"And now we get to the heart of the matter, the reason why you are here. We call you Mother because you will mother your child."

"That's not the only reason."

He smiled. "Indeed. Very perceptive. This island is mysterious and powerful, but it also has made our women unfertile. They cannot conceive, nor will they ever be able to. Then, we saw you, a woman who was with child, who was completely unaffected by this island for reasons we cannot fathom. But we cannot deny the evidence. If you had been affected, you would have lost the baby. In fact, you felt him stop moving one day, did you not?"

She nodded, too numb to speak, and he continued. "But your baby is fine. We ran all the appropriate tests. See, Mother, our colony is dying because women cannot give birth. But, through you, Claire, we will build our civilization up again. You will be the mother of us all!"

She stopped, suddenly breathless. "Oh, God, this...this can't be happening--"

He walked away, his face impassive. "It is what you wanted to hear, Mother, was it not? The truth? Did you not wish to hear it?"

"N-no..." Her voice came out in a whisper, and the truth, the ugly truth, imposed itself upon her, slowing her steps, making her sink to her knees. She had no idea how long she knelt there, sobbing, but when she looked up, Casir was gone.

-----------------

Day 8

Left. Left. Right. Right. Left. Left. Right. Left.

I wrote these directions down so I wouldn't forget them. I need to find a way back to those guards, for I finally have a plan. I have an idea what lies behind those guards. Getting past them will be trickier. I need to practice those directions so I don't get lost. I'm the mouse in the mousetrap here, the outsider. I need to know exactly where I'm going when I implement my plan. I'm going to go practice now.

------------------------

No! Those directions are wrong! Where did I mess up? Where? I need to find out before my baby comes. I hope he's not too eager, because once he comes, there will be no escape. I'm sure of that.

--------------------

Ok. It's left, left, right, right, left, right, right, left. Those are the right directions. Good. I need to practice. Also, if I can remember where the examination room is...

--------------------

Questions. Always questions. Apparently, I have made too many trips to where the guards are, and they want to know why. I told them that I'm lonely, and Ralph and Tommy(my names for them) are the only two people I have seen on my walks, except for the occasional passer-by, who won't even look at me. They seemed to believe me, but, nevertheless, I must hurry.

This will probably be my last journal entry.

Thank God.

----------------

Claire ran down the hallway, following her directions exactly. She had walked this route many times, so she had no fear of getting lost. The weight on her stomach was like an elephant, but, still, she hurried. She had to. If someone looked in the examination room before she got to the guards, then all was lost.

She reached the last corner, steeled herself, and walked around smiling, holding her stolen objects behind her back.

"Mother?" Ralph said. "It's good to see you."

"You seem out of breath, Mother," Tommy said.

"I...I "

"Mother, you know that running is not good for the baby," Ralph said. "Why would you do that? I must report this." He pushed a button on the wall.

"No!" Claire screamed, and touched a fibrillator pad to each of their arms. They immediately slumped, just like the nurses in the examination room had.

She moved past them and hurried down the tunnel. It made several twists and turns, but there were no branches leading off the path, thank God. She finally came to a shiny, metal ladder. At the top, several feet up, was a hatch.

She cried in relief and started climbing. When she was halfway up, she stopped. She could see a tiny window in the hatch, but it was dirty. Still, the figures standing outside were unmistakable. A distorted Locke and Boone stood there, arms crossed, looking down, looking at her.

"Locke!" she cried. "Boone! Help!"

They didn't respond, and she started climbing. That's when she saw it--a handle. A way out! She reached for it, her fingers brushed hope, and then she was yanked backward into strong arms. The exit seemed a million miles away, and might as well have been on the other side of the world, for all the good it did her.

Casir stood there, arms folded. "That was a very stupid thing for you to do, Claire."

She didn't respond, looked away.

"Bring her with you and follow me," he said, and then turned on his heel and walked away.

She was carried after Casir. She wasn't allowed to walk, but was carried, like an infant.

"'Cause I've been a very baaaaadddddd girl," she said and giggled. Was she losing her mind?

"I suppose you're wondering where I'm taking you," Casir said.

"Not really. Who gives a damn? I'm through caring."

He smirked. "I'm taking you to see what we are protecting."

"I assumed you meant the island itself."

"Incorrect."

She thought. "My baby? You're my baby's protector?"

"Incorrect again. I mean, we will protect your child, that is true, but what we really protect is a secret so great that it could change the face of your world."

Her head was reeling, and, as a result, she lost her sense of direction as they made a turn here, a turn there. Some minutes later, they finally stopped. She was in a new area now. Before them were two double doors.

"Set her down," Casir said.

They did and the doors opened.

"Step inside."

She did, and the doors closed. It was an elevator, and they rode down, down, down, such a long way down that her ears popped. It finally bumped to a stop, and the doors slid open.

What she saw made her gasp. "It's...it's..."

"...extraordinary, isn't it?" His breath was a fetid hiss against her neck, and she shivered, despite it being very warm down here.

Looking at it, she knew he was right. It was extraordinary, and, if not for Casir's arm on her shoulder, she would have fallen.


	2. Captivity Chapter 2: A journal's journe...

Ok, the second part from my captivity series. Hope you enjoy! Please review.

Disclaimer: None of these characters on Lost belong to me-I am just borrowing them. Ok, on with the show!

-

Captivity Chapter 2

by Patrick Null

Day 10

The pen trembles as I write this. No, not a pen, but a quill, which is amusing in its own right. Amid all this high tech medical equipment and fingerprint locked diaries, they have replaced the most basic instrument of human life with something that is pre-historic in its simplicity. I want to ask why, for I have always been inquisitive, but the anger that blackens my soul is squashing any curiosity. Why am I angry? I'm tired of being a prisoner.

I have been lax in keeping up with my journal. Busy, I suppose. Which is why I'm writing now for I wish to record the events that has happened over the last couple of days. I suppose I should start at the beginning, when Casir showed me what they were protecting. When I first stepped out of the elevator, I thought I was looking into a giant fish tank...

-

...or so it seemed to Claire. But first she noticed the walls, rough and uneven, moldy and slimy, like the inside of a cave. She felt one of the sides, and her fingers came away wet. Claire thought it was odd that they hadn't built steel walls and tiled floors like they had up above. She shrugged. Maybe they wanted to preserve a bit of history.

She noticed the doors next, one on the east wall, one on the west. The doors were steel, completely contradicting the natural terrain of this room, and if that wasn't bad enough, each door was guarded by a numerical keypad and a guard. There were desks, booths, and circular tables scattered throughout the room with flashing equipment, but they were now vacant. Claire had no doubt that at certain times of the day, every seat was filled.

The last thing she saw made her suck in a breath. She was looking out into the ocean. It was crystal blue and schools of fish lazily swam by and the result was a kaleidoscope of colors that was beautiful. She had never seen anything so amazing, not in her home in Australia, not anywhere. She saw seaweed, eels, crabs, and even a couple of sharks gliding through the water, but they were a ways off yet. Her next thought was one of alarm. Wouldn't the ocean's pressure crack the glass and flood the room? After all, it seemed like they had rode the elevator an awfully long way down. She looked closer. No, it wasn't window glass, but a huge view screen extending the entire length of the room, from top to bottom.

But it was what was on the view screen that made her pause. It was gigantic and sat lopsided on the rocky bottom, like a forgotten piece of mythology, viewed by silent guardians.

She could barely speak. "It's...it's..."

"...extraordinary, isn't it?" He was too close to her, and his breath made her shiver involuntarily, even though she was sweating from the heat. Heat rises, so shouldn't she be freezing? No, it was exactly the opposite. This room was heated by an unseen power source that she couldn't pinpoint.

Her legs felt like jello and she almost fell, except for Casir, who seemed to sense her disorientation, and stopped her descent at the last minute. His touch was repulsive, and she moved away to lean against a railing instead.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Why, Mother, you know what it is."

"How did it get there?"

"It sunk."

For the first time since entering this chamber, she looked at Casir. "Sunk?"

"Surely, you have heard the stories."

"Yes, b-but they're-"

"Myths? I can assure you it is not a myth. You can see the evidence in front of your eyes."

She was already shaking her head, and she faced front again. "No! It's a trick!"

His tone was condescending. "And why would we go to all this trouble, Mother?"

"To confuse me, to disorient me, to...to..." She had no more words left to say because, in her heart, she knew it was no trick.

He walked away, hands clasped behind his back. "Ah, I think you are beginning to realize I am telling the truth. Whatever you may think of us, we do not lie."

She laughed. "That's a lie in itself."

"What do you mean?"

"Ethan. He was never a part of our group, but he pretended he was."

"Ah. Yes, sorry about that. That was a calculated and much needed lie to infiltrate your group."

"Whatever gets you through the night."

He narrowed his eyes, clenched his jaw, and then, suddenly, his features softened, and he was grinning. "Why, Mother, you have a lot of spark in you which I had never noticed before on my many countless observations of your interactions with your friends. Why, I would even say that you have more spark than Kate."

She didn't respond, and he faced the view screen. "It's amazing, isn't it, Mother? We have been excavating it for years, and we have recovered many artifacts. The claw weapons we wear at our sides came from there. Its very presence infects this island with an energy that is sometimes magical and most times, prevents anyone from being found."

She sucked in a breath.

"That is how it protects itself, you see, from ever being discovered."

"I...I don't understand any of this."

"I know you don't, Mother, but you will. In time. You have the rest of your life to figure it out."

"I want to go back."

He turned to her. "So soon?"

"Yes. I've seen enough."

-

Day 10

I had heard stories about it. Who hadn't?

I thought it was a myth. Who didn't?

Atlantis. Why, even the name conjures up fragmented images of a technological civilization that sank into the ocean. Casir is right. If the United States, or any country for that matter, ever discovered the mythical city, that country could become the reigning powerhouse on Earth. With America's top scientists, they could mine Atlantis for all that it was worth. Who knows what discoveries lie inside. The cure to cancer? Aids? Eternal youth? Time travel? The possibilities are endless, and I can't believe I was within a couple hundred miles of it.

It's too bad that no one will ever be able to hear the news.

Oops, the light above my door is blinking. That means it's time to eat. I'll be back shortly.

-

Day 10

Ok, I'm back sooner than I thought. I just figured that I might as well bring my journal with me. Why not? No one talks to me. Indeed, we eat in a huge cafeteria, but I am the only one at my table every day. The others sit at nearby tables, heads bowed, whispering. It's like...they're afraid of me. The fried boar sits in front of me, untouched, for I am overcome by emotion.

I miss my friends. I miss conversations. I miss companionship. I miss Jack. I miss Kate. I miss Locke. I miss Michael, Hurley, and Walt. And yes, I even miss Sawyer. But most of all, I miss Charley. He was cute, in a goofy kind of way, and he was the only one who befriended me when others wouldn't.

Tears are falling to the page right now. My hand is trembling to where I can barely write these words. I am regretful and angry, and I just want to die. Ha! Wouldn't that put a kink in their plans? Oh, God, Charley. I miss Charley! I miss Charley! I miss Charley! I just want to...

(the rest is unreadable)

-

Day 10

Ok, back in my room. If anyone reads this after I am gone, then I am truly sorry about my outburst. You have no idea what it's like down here, all alone, not knowing what's going to happen to me, what's going to happen to my ba-"

Day 10

My head is spinning, but I'm much more happier. The nurses injected something into my arm, to make me feel better, they said. They came into my room, and interrupted my last journal entry (sorry about that). They said I was getting overexcited. They're probably right. After all, they know best.

Casir knows best.

I like Casir.

I like the food.

I like it down here.

I like the lights. The lights run against the wall to lead me to the cafeteria so I don't get lost. Wow, their own automated direction system. That's cool.

Of course, there are no lights when I go on my walks. And yesterday, I found a zoo.

Or so I thought.

-

Cages. Lots of cages, most of them filled. Claire saw tigers snarling out at her from behind iron bars, bears lumbering back and forth, birds chittering, monkeys chattering, snakes hissing, their forked tongues darting in and out. It was a huge room, and it was noisy. It was also guarded, but the guards let Claire in without any trouble. They probably figured she couldn't do much harm in this "zoo", if that's what it was. She saw two cages were empty, the doors hanging lopsided on hinges.

"Do you like our animals?" a voice said behind her.

She jumped and whirled around, only to see Casir. "You scared me."

"My apologies, Mother."

"Are you following me?"

"I was notified you had entered the room where we keep the animals, and I thought you might like some company."

"You thought wrong." She turned her back on him.

He didn't respond, but he didn't leave, either.

"Why do you talk to me?" Claire asked.

"What do you mean?"

"No one else does."

He moved up beside her, uncomfortably close. "They are afraid of you."

"What!"

"They are afraid of what you represent: life. Their existence is decided by fate, whereas your fate is not chained down by pre-destination, and that fact, well, that is what scares them and makes them loathe you at the same time."

"I don't understand, but that's all right. There's not a lot I understand. What is this place?"

"It is where we experiment on animals to gain knowledge."

She nodded. "I noticed that two cages are empty."

"Yes." His voice was grim. "It was an unfortunate occurrence. We had two polar bears at one point. They escaped."

"What?"

He turned on his heel and left her. "I prefer not to discuss it, Mother. Shall we go?"

After giving one last look at the experiment room, she followed. She didn't think she had a choice anyways.

-

Day 10

I wonder what else I can find. So far, I have seen Atlantis, a cafeteria, a zoo, and I hear there's a library here somewhere, though no one will tell me where it is. Maybe I will ask Casir next time I see him. Right now, I'm tired. I'm lying down. Goodnight, little journal.

-

Day 11

I like this place. I like this place. I like this place I like this place I like this place I like this place...

-

Day 11

My apologies for the above. Why can't I just say I'm sorry? My apologies: God, now I'm starting to sound like them. The nurses woke me up first thing in the morning, examined my baby, deemed me fine, and then injected me with what I like to call their "feel good" medicine. When the effects wear off, I can say things like this: I hate this place. I hate this place. I hate this place I hate this place hate hate HATE!

I'm going for a walk.

-

Claire left her journal on the bed, unopened, and walked out into the hall. She turned right, and when she reached the end, turned left, and that's when he appeared in front of her. "Hello, Mother."

It was him, the man who had kidnapped them, the man who had a hand in hanging Charley. Ethan.

"You!" Claire screamed as she flung herself at Ethan, but he was quick and strong, and soon had her pressed up against the wall.

"Don't over-excite yourself, Mother. It's bad for the baby."

"Get...get away from me."

"And this is the gratitude I get."

"Gratitude?"

"I had a run in with Jack as well. I could have killed him, but I was merciful."

"And you expect me to be grateful for that?"

"Yes!" His lips pressed against hers, and she squirmed and tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go. He tasted like rotting fish. He finally released and smiled. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun fathering my child."

She would have screamed, but the scream stuck in her throat.

"Let her go, Ethan," Casir said.

"Of course." Ethan stepped away, but his eyes never left Claire.

"You know the rules," Casir said. "There is a waiting list. We drew numbers, remember?"

"Yes, but I am at the bottom of the list!"

"Rules are rules, Ethan." Casir stepped forward, his tone dangerously soft. "Do I need to remind you of the rules?"

For the first time, Ethan looked scared. He gulped. "I...I meant no disrespect, sir."

"Leave us."

"Yes, sir." Ethan walked away, but not before sparing Claire one last glance. The look told Claire that he would have his moment, and there would be nothing she could do about it. She shivered, wrapped her arms around herself.

"I am truly sorry, Moth-"

Claire ran, away from Casir, down the hall, and into her room where safety awaited. She immediately reached for her journal-it was the only solace she had left-and began to write:

Day 11

I had a run in with Casir just now. I can still smell him, taste him, feel his body pressed up against mine. I want to throw up. I want to scrub every inch of his scent from my body, but I fear it won't do any good. I'm going to sleep. Maybe I can forget, but it's doubtful.

-

Claire closed her diary and locked it. She stood, stretched, and that's when she felt it-water trickling down her legs. It took her a few moments to realize what was happening.

"My…water…just broke," she said numbly.

Immediately, alarms started to sound, her room flashed red, the color of blood. It disoriented her. Confused, she turned around, not knowing which way was up, which way was down, and couldn't find her door, until nurses and doctors ran into her room, carrying a gurney.

"Wh...what's going on?"

No one spoke. She was picked up, and placed on the gurney with practiced efficiency, and then she was wheeled out of the room. The halls whisked past her and all she saw were faceless strangers looking down at her coldly, without emotion. She was finally wheeled into a room and lifted onto a bed.

Her legs were spread, her pants and panties cut off. People surrounded her, attaching IV's to her, and injecting chemicals into her.

"She's already dilated at 10 centimeters!" someone cried.

"What?" Claire said. "How can that be?"

"It's the island, Mother," Casir said as he stepped into her line of sight. "It does things, wonderful, wonderful things. Even I don't know how it all works, but what I need for you to do now, Claire, is push."

And she did.

God help her, she pushed.


End file.
